Paul V. Holtzman
Paul Holtzman's litigation practice is comprised of a mix of trial work, alternative dispute resolution and preventive advice to employers, all focused in the areas of employment law, sexual harassment and other civil rights.
Paul has litigated dozens of discrimination, non-competition, overtime compensation, wage and hour, Tip Act, contract and tort cases for employees as well as employers in federal and state courts. Discrimination cases that Paul has litigated have involved allegations of discrimination on the basis of disability, race, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation and retaliation. He has litigated class actions involving misappropriation of tips and service charges collected on behalf of food and beverage and spa employees.
Other practice areas include housing discrimination matters, public accommodation discrimination, design and defense of affirmative action policies and general litigation. He has litigated claims under the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act relating to disability and race discrimination, as well as public accommodation claims for private clubs and non-profit organizations. On behalf of organizations operating group homes for disabled individuals, he has successfully challenged a variety of neighborhood and municipal obstacles to the siting and operation of such programs.
Paul also has served as special counsel in the investigation of numerous harassment matters. He also consults with attorneys and litigants on the availability of insurance coverage for employment and civil rights claims.
Paul has an active transactional employment practice, specializing in negotiating severance agreements, employment contracts and non-competition/non-disclosure agreements.
Paul has extensive experience as an advocate in all forms of alternative dispute resolution (ADR). He also serves as a mediator in employment and other disputes for the United States District Court, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and through a private mediation practice. He has successfully resolved dozens of cases involving claims of discrimination, employee misclassification, overtime disputes, non-payment of wages and commissions, failure to accommodate disabilities, and contractual disputes.
Paul advises employers in the prevention of discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace. He has developed personnel policies and training programs aimed at both preventing and properly handling harassment and discrimination complaints for a wide range of non-profit and for-profit institutions.
Among his public service activities, Paul served as Co-Chair of the Labor & Employment Section of the Boston Bar Association. He filed an amicus curiae brief in the landmark Goodridge vs. Department of Public Health case, where he argued on behalf of a coalition of national civil rights organizations. He also serves as an Advisor to the American Law Institute (ALI) on the inaugural Restatement of Employment Law. He has published a number of articles on employment law for Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and other publications and is frequently quoted in newspapers and magazine articles on workplace issues.
Paul is a 1983 magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College and a 1987 graduate of Yale Law School, where he served as a senior editor of the Yale Law Review. He served as a law clerk to the Honorable Pierre N. Leval in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. He also practiced in Washington, D.C., at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
Boston, Massachusetts 02210
